Wild Blue Yonder
by Ransai Caradine
Summary: This is a Tails in the Pokemon World Crossover inspired by my RP. Okay, so I was a newb and did it in one chappy previously, that's fixed now. Sorries!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

Tails, Sonic, and any mention of the Sonic universe is copyright of Sega and SonicTeam. All Pokemon, towns and locations mentioned are copyright and property of Gamefreak and the Pokemon Company. Any references to Ransai Caradine is copyright by me. All references to other unknown characters and/or circumstances are from the great minds of Team Snagem

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If Tails didn't see the advertisement for the Wild Blue Yonder, Tuesday would have been a very boring day indeed.

Flying has been a pursuit of many a soul for many a reason for many an age. Whether humans wanted the freedom of birds or freedom from the worries of life itself, to touch the sky and find heaven, to keep in touch with relatives in distant lands or in the hereafter, flying has been a dream of many. And flying was just what Tails did best. Back on his home planet, he built many flying machines, from biplanes to flying mechs to an entire airship. And he himself was built for flying. His two tails would strike one as strange, but he can maneuver them to lift his light frame off the ground and take flight wherever and whenever he needed to. It was a technique that saved him and some of his friends many times over. So of course a festival dedicated to flying pokemon would interest a kid like Tails.

Just like back home, he had more ways of flying than he could count off the top of his head. On this planet though, he didn't have anyone to go with him when he was flying. No familiar cool blue best friend to encourage him. No headset to talk to anyone who needed input from the sky. Nothing but him and the flying pokemon up in the air. But he managed to cope with that.

The Wild Blue Yonder festival, as advertised on the news, was hosted annually by the Gym leader of Fortree, Winona. Like any festival, food and games were bound to be there. And parties are always so much fun. The thing that grabbed Tails' attention though was the main event of the festival. An aerial race through the four regions, braving the low pressure and thin air of the upper reaches of the sky mounted on a flying pokemon. Tails didn't know about the composition of the atmosphere of Earth, but he had a fairly easy time breathing high up in the atmosphere on Mobius. So though he was young, he thought he might have a chance.

After he prepared with what he thought would be enough: his pokemon (all of a feather), any medical supplies (potions and revives), and a small pack to smuggle any spare treats from the festival off with him, he left HQ.

Kitsune was there to see him off.

"So you saw that broadcast about that festival?" she asked.

"Yep," Tails answered with a nod. "I know you probably want to go too, but I have no idea what I'll be up against. So I'll need all my best flying pokemon."

"Ah, well. They'll probably say something about it on the news anyway."

"Probably," Tails agreed. "It's been awhile since I've been able to do something like this. I just hope I can do this."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll finish it," Kitsune encouraged. "Just make sure you win, too."

"I'll try," Tails said with a giggle.

"Well, don't sit around talking to me!" Kitsune said all of a sudden. "Go and have fun!"

"All right! I'll see you later, then. Wish me luck!"

Kitsune nodded and Tails walked away grabbing a pokeball from his pack. He let his Pidgeot out and it stood out in front of him expectantly. It flapped its wings a bit.

"Well, it looks like we're gonna have some fun today. And not just having to take people out, either," Tails told his Pidgeot.

Pidgeot gave a shrill chirp. Whatever Tails had planned, Pidgeot was ready for. It let down a wing for Tails to climb up.

After Tails got a tight hold, he let Pidgeot know he was ready with a tap on its neck. "Let's go. To Fortree City," he said.

Pidgeot flapped its wings and swiftly took off into the sky.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pidgeot's speed ensured it would take no time at all to get to Fortree. And the Pokedex wasn't kidding when it said a Pidgeot's speed can approach an upward of Mach 2 speeds. Tails counted only about a minute or so before they were over the ocean and forests, arriving at Fortree. Pidgeot landed in a clearing outside Fortree and Tails hopped off, raring for a good time. He quickly recalled Pidgeot back to its pokeball and took off running to the city.

It certainly looked like there was a festival going on. Everywhere Tails looked, he saw sky blue and white streamers and confetti on the ground, concession stands and game booths lining the edge of the forest. If he didn't know any better, Tails thought it all appeared overnight or something. People were walking around idly or aloof just as one would see at any carnival or festival. And of course, kids were dashing about, looking for the next game to play or sweet to eat. If he was a resident, he'd probably be running around with those kids, too.

The only thing he thought strange was that no one thought him as strange.

Yet.

Until a kid absentmindedly knocked him on his butt to the ground. Tails eeped a squeak in surprise.

"Ooow... that hurt," Tails complained looking up at the kid. The kid was still standing, looking down at Tails, rather confused.

"Are you a pokemon or something?" the kid asked, taking out a pokeball. "'Cause if you are, then you'd be a good one to show my sister!"

"Hey, I'm not a--" Tails managed to shout before he was beaned with the pokeball. It merely bounced off his head and landed harmlessly on the ground. Tails couldn't exactly say it was a fun experience. "--Pokemon..." he finished.

The kid stared, then chuckled a bit nervously. "Oh yeah... I knew that..." he fibbed, grabbing for his pokeball.

"Oh, Aeyn!" called an exasperated yet familiar voice. A woman, probably in her late teens or early twenty's was running towards them. She was wearing a suit that just screamed 'flying fanatic' and wore her hair in a long ponytail, about to her back. "Oh, Tails, too?"

Tails stood up, rubbing the back of his head and asked, "Long time no see, huh Winona?"

"You know that pokemon, Windy?" the kid asked.

"That's not a pokemon, silly," Winona answered. "He helped us save the pokemon's homes in the forests some time ago."

Windy? Aeyn? The kid said he had a sister, but Tails didn't think he'd be bumping into Winona's little brother as soon as he arrived at Fortree. At least he didn't have to go and run around looking for Winona, now. He decided he'd introduce himself.

"Yup. Oh, and my name's Miles Prower. But just call me Tails. I hate my real name,"

"That's a kinda weird name," Aeyn said. "But yeah, I'm Aeyn."

"You don't have to be rude about it." Winona said stiffly.

"He's the one who ran into me!" Aeyn argued.

"But I wasn't even running..." Tails piped in.

"Aeyn, if you want me to teach you the proper way to employ grace in battles one of these days, then I think you should be at least a little more welcoming to everyone coming to the festival." Winona warned.

Aeyn scoffed a bit. "All right, all right, I'll just leave you alone then," he said. He put the pokeball back in his pocket and dashed off.

Winona sighed in relief. "Sorry about that, Tails," she said. "Mom and Dad decided to bring my brother with them this year for the festival, but I still think it was a bad idea. I have enough to worry about, hosting this thing and all."

"It's okay," Tails said with a shrug, " For some reason, the kids on this planet think I'm a pokemon and the adults just stare."

"Kids will be kids. As for the adults around here, they don't get too much to surprise them around here. But you might be more mature than all of them if you're used to that and can still be yourself. Oh, well. Are you here for the festival, then?" Winona asked, starting to walk towards the gym. She signaled for Tails to follow.

Tails nodded, following her. "Yup. I wanna take part in the race, too."

"Oh, yeah, you do have your own pokemon. How old are you again? Ten? Twelve?" Winona asked, slowing down a bit as she neared the gym.

"I'm eight years old," Tails said a bit hesitantly.

Winona stopped and turned around, looking down at Tails. "Wait, you're not even the required age to be registered as an official pokemon trainer?"

Tails ears twitched, a bit annoyed at himself for forgetting what Blizz told him about hiding his age. "No..."

Winona paused for a bit, thinking. "Well, you do handle pokemon well...and you did show that you're not a pushover, dealing with Julian...How about this?" she asked, "You hurry up and get some form of permission from your mom or dad and I can let you in."

Tails sighed when she mentioned something about parental permissions. "My mom and dad were killed a long time ago... back before I could even remember..." he said.

Winona put her hand to her mouth in surprise. "Oh, my... I'm sorry. If you don't mind my prying, how have you been getting by?"

"Don't worry...like I said, I don't really remember them. But my friend, Sonic pretty much raised me as his brother. He's been there for me for a long time." Tails said, smiling a bit now.

"Sonic? Is that his nickname?"

"Nope. That's his real name."

Winona looked rather confused, but continued questioning anyhow. "Do you think you could get permission from him then?"

Tails shook his head. "Well, he's still on the planet Mobius and I can't really get there whenever I want."

Winona stared at Tails, trying not to let any frustration show. Not at Tails, but at his situation. "So you're not even from this planet?" She asked. She walked over to the gym to write something down on the board and Tails followed.

"No... What are you doing, Winona?"

Winona finished writing and turned back to Tails. "Since you're from another planet and your appearance is proof enough of it, I'll just conclude that children from your planet mature quickly and I won't have to try to think of any other way to get permission for you," she said, smiling a bit. "Now, I've got a festival to host. I'll see you later."

She waved to Tails, then walked off.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Julian is dead. That was something Julian himself had to convince himself of. This "Wild Blue Yonder" festival would be the perfect chance to exact some much sought after revenge. And if his luck was with him, he could take out that meddling fox boy, too. He thought the last time he'd see that mangy fox was when he was carted off to prison.

But no. That kid even crushed him again when he joined Turanade. Another opportunity out the window. This time, Julian decided to stay dead. He would assume a new identity. Even if it meant altering his appearance. Luckily for him, prison provided him with the perfect opportunity to lose weight, grow a beard and change his taste in clothing.

Now that he's finished his 'project', nothing could go wrong. To say the least, he felt like one of those people who like to eat little bunny rabbits and spit out lucky charms and even invent new ways of torturing old ladies while enjoying his meal. It was a good feeling, indeed. The time was ripe for revenge and even a profit. Whoever said 'You can't have your cake and eat it, too' obviously wasn't trying hard enough.

The new Julian, who called himself Vince, made sure his pokeballs were at the ready and engaged his flying machine, the project he had been working on just for today. He smiled, impressed with his work and climbed in. He confirmed the coordinates of Fortree and took off.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The adults in Fortree were more accepting than Tails thought they would be. He thought he might be chased off for being mistaken for a wild pokemon and not getting the chance to eat. Instead, he was greeted with a pat on the head by some ladies and treated to some fresh cookies by the servers taking care of the food of the festival. Ransai was wrong. People are nice. At least those Tails met, anyway.

He was content on munching away at his horde of cookies and brownies as he walked around, waiting for the race to start. Now there were some pokemon battles starting in the sky, led by anxious trainers and the local territorial Pidgeotto in the area. At least it was something to watch. When Tails finished one of the brownies, he came across a gaming booth. A dunk tank. With a smart alec clown, no less.

"Hey, look at that reject pokemon!"

Tails' ears twitched from that comment and he turned to look at the clown.

"Yeah, that's right! I bet you couldn't even beat out a Magikarp!" the clown further jeered.

"Hey, what'd I do to you!" Tails finally answered.

A game server waved Tails over and smiled. "For a couple of pokedollars, you could get back at him," he said.

"A runt like that! Hah! I've roasted tougher Caterpies!" the clown mocked.

"I'm sure you have, Bobo." the server answered, sarcastically. "So, will you try and humiliate him, little, guy?"

Tails took three pokedollars out of his pack and handed them to the server, receiving three balls in return. "Yeah, he's real annoying," he said, walking up behind the line.

"Aww, look at that, the Vulpix wannabe is gonna try and get me wet! I'm so scared!" Bobo shouted sarcastically.

Tails' tails twitched. "I'm not a pokemon, anyhow!" he shouted at him, winding up for a pitch. He loosed the ball at the target-- And it bounced off the cage surrounding the clown.

"Yeah, sure, I bet you just lost against a Cyndaquil that only knew Smokescreen!" the clown contested, guffawing.

Tails wound up again and pitched the ball. This time, the ball hit the target and there was a gratifying splash when the clown got dunked along with a shouted word that's usually considered vulgar and generally not used in public.

"Agh! I can't believe the twerp got me!"

Tails grinned. "And I got one more left!" he shouted.

Bobo scowled, climbing his overweight bottom to his perch above the water. "I think you were aiming at me that time and missed!" he shouted back.

Tails wound up again. "Okay, I'll aim for the target this time!" he called out. He pitched the final ball at the target and it connected, plummeting the clown once more into the tank along with another cuss word being shouted.

"Agh, go back to your pokeball, you little twerp!" Bobo protested.

Tails shrugged with a smirk. "I've beat tougher Caterpie than you," he said.

"Two out of three ain't bad," the server told Tails.

"Yeah, I feel better now," Tails said, giggling a bit. He took out the cookies he was eating and resumed doing so as he walked off to see what else he can do before the race starts.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Winona."

Falkner dismounted Zephyr, his Pidgeot and returned it, ready for another race across the regions.

"There, you are, Falkner!" Winona greeted, walking over to the leader of the Violet City gym with a sheet. "It's Five thirty, so I was wondering what had you caught up," she said.

"Ah, a battle ran long. The challenger thought he would be clever and throw a few electric types into battle, but Gligar got the best of them. Other than that, he battled fairly well," Falkner reported. "But he still lost." he added with a chuckle.

"I see. Well, I'm glad you're here, either way," Winona told him. "Someone signed up today, and I'm a bit suspicious."

Falkner took the sheet to write his name down and notices one of the more recent names. "Who would call their kid Tails?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"It's not him," Winona said, "The only thing he's done wrong is beyond his control, but I think he can handle the race. But it's the Vince guy."

Falkner signed his name down, listening to her. "What about him?"

"I could have sworn he looked familiar...and definitely not someone I want in the race."

"But you're not sure, and want me to keep an eye on him?" Falkner asked, handing back the registration sheet.

Winona nodded. "Yes, and if my hunch is right, he could ruin the race. I just hope I'm not losing it from hosting the festival. Especially with Aeyn here this year."

"Nah, you're more than capable enough to lead this like you do every year, Winona," Falkner said, "And I'll make sure I keep an eye on Vince. You just do what you always do and don't let it worry you." Falkner assured.

Winona nodded. "Yeah...Just so much going on this year. Thank you, Falkner," she said. She glanced at her watch and cleared her throat. "Well, it's time for me to start everything up," she said. She tilted her head with a smile. "Are you going to come with me?"

"Of course. Don't I always?" Falkner asked, playing a cool smile.

Winona beamed, then walked away from the gym, followed by Falkner.


	2. Chapter 2

Tails had just finished up his pile of treats when he heard Winona speaking over the speaker systems.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the opening ceremonies will begin in five minutes! Please make your way to this year's designated outside auditorium!"

Tails said, "Okay, time to go find where that is!" before walking off with the flow of people migrating towards their destination. After some time of walking and listening to the chat of the surrounding people, Tails gathered that RC and his brother, Robert, were indeed involved in this race for quite some time, and were infamous for one-two finishes, followed by Falkner and Winona or Winona and Falkner. He knew he'd have to do his best if he wanted to win this. He just hoped he was up to the challenge.

But two hours and some minutes would be real hard to beat on the first try.

He continued walking along with the others towards their destination until finally, they came to a lining seats arranged neatly before the stage where Winona was standing. Behind the stage, there laid a nest of countless pokemon eggs, most likely bird pokemon eggs.. Speeding up, Tails started weaving in and out of people to get a good seat, bumping into more people than he meant to, but at least no one tried to grab him by his tails. He triumphantly planted his little butt on the third seat from the front row, center. Then he got scooted over by the others who wanted to sit down and he reluctantly gave up his seat, scooting further down the row until he was seated on the last chair in the row, far away from the center and not even able to see above the chairs, much less the people sitting in them.

"Aw, man..." Tails whined to himself. He shifted his attention to a couple of Vulpix playing in the mud several yards away. Mud was once one of the things he hated most, which clashed for his being a kid, and kids naturally love playing in the mud. But Tails didn't. He'd always been afraid of it ever since he was four years old. He almost drowned in a muddy swamp and certainly wouldn't be on this planet if it weren't for his best friend who saved him. Ever since then, he's avoided anything like mud like the plague.

But several weeks ago, after being prodded by a friend to face his fear, he finally mustered the courage to meet it head-on. With help, of course. Without his Swampert, he'd still be held by that irrational fear. But now, though he still doesn't believe it, he actually found the whole experience fun. He was brought back from his musing by the beginning of the festival.

"Welcome everyone, and thank you for visiting once again to the twentieth annual Wild Blue Yonder festival!"

The crowd cheered and applauded and Winona paused. When it went silent, she continued.

"This year, just like every year, we congregate in celebration of the grace and beauty of the flying type Pokemon. We join to share the skies with our pokemon, to teach each other the graces of our natures and to fortify the beauty of the relationship between trainer and pokemon. To accomplish this, we brave the skies themselves with our pokemon to hone our instincts and our connection between us. This race is the ultimate test for all who participate."

Winona paused and the silence was eerie, even for an outdoor setting like this.

"But there's more to this festival than just the race," she continued. "Every year, long before this very festival came to be, the mating season had long since ended and there was a sight in the skies that awed the citizens of Fortree yearly. The hatching season left the skies filled with new life, new beauty and new grace."

Even now, that was apparently so as the sounds of hatching began to cut into Winona's speech, but she continued on.

"And so we celebrate that new life today by honor of festival. This is our reminder that pokemon aren't just 'things' we use to battle or collect. This is our reminder that the sky sheds its winds of grace on us all, human or pokemon. This is our reminder," Winona pressed on as the hatching started giving way to pokemon cries, "That for humans and pokemon to live together means to guide and keep each other aloft in our hopes and dreams, whether they're strewn with stormy skies or rays of sun."

The cries of the newborn pokemon rang clearer now. And though they were just born, several of the pokemon, Spearow, Pidgey, Swablu, even evolved pokemon that are rare to hatch from eggs like Pidgeotto, small Fearow, and Altaria started to fly out from the bunch of newly hatched eggs and fill the sky, just like Winona said.

"And so again, this year, we celebrate the sky, our flying pokemon and the grace that connects and binds us together and lift us to the sky! This is the true meaning behind the Wild Blue Yonder!"

As soon as Winona finished with those words, she was met with cheers and applause from the front and chirps and cries behind her. Tails joined in the clapping when the standing ovation started. So this was what the festival was about, Tails thought to himself, celebrating the hatching season of the local flying pokemon. What made Tails feel real special is that his intervention with Julian could very well have saved the festival this year. He decided that since the speech was over, he'd start flying above the crowd to get a better look, causing some stares and pointing, but he didn't pay it too much mind.

The applause died down and people started sitting back down, and soon, the bird pokemon that didn't fly off started hopping around. Tails noticed someone walk away from the the rest of the audience and walk up the stage next to Winona. She conceded the podium for him.

"Thank you everyone. As you all may know, I am Falkner of the Violet City gym, and I'm glad to be out here in Fortree again," he said before being interrupted by some applause. "And don't worry, for we've readied the track of the Wild Blue Yonder just like we have every other year. Our veterans won't be disappointed and our newcomers will be in for the ride of their lives!"

Tails started paying close attention, now. He was a newcomer, after all.

"For those who don't know, this race is an aerial trek through the regions, all four of them, Kanto, Jhoto, Orre and Hoenn, all of which have been given five checkpoints. The goal is to race through the regions, following this airborne checkpoints to the best of your ability and make it back here by this time tomorrow. A true test for anyone who wishes to call themselves a flying pokemon trainer. Now, be wary now, for there's more than just the racing involved," Falkner warned, "As high up as those checkpoints are, the air will be more than thin enough to test the fortitude of both the trainers and the pokemon. It will be a flight of endurance, no doubt."

Tails sighed, listening. He hoped that since he could breathe out in space on Mobius, he wouldn't have trouble breathing too high up in the sky on this planet. But he could never be sure about anything on this planet. At least he used his Pidgeot enough. That gave him some confidence.

"And any pokemon you have are fair game to you to use, so long as they can fly. A Shuckle or a Snorlax won't be any use to you, flying. And though they might make great projectile weapons from that high up, you're a trainer, not a terrorist, so do the earth a favor and let's not leave it massive craters, okay?"

Some laughter was heard, and Tails imagined a Snorlax falling from at least ten thousand feet in the air, reaching terminal velocity of at least three hundred miles per hour before leaving a massive divot in the ground as it remains blissfully sleeping though it all. He concluded that it was indeed, not a very good idea.

"And though you may want to use them, after studying the results of the races over the past several years, legendary pokemon are prohibited this year, much to our collective dismay."

And it appeared there was collective dismay from half the audience. But Tails didn't have any legendary pokemon, so he didn't mind the restriction.

"We want this to be a fair affair, pardon the pun, and if someone planned on using a Rayquaza in this race, it would be anything but fair to those who don't have access to such pokemon."

Tails remembered how RC said he would one of these days show him how fast Canth could go by using Agility and Extreme speed and it made sense to him.

"Last but not least, people, " Falkner continued, "Have fun and don't try too hard to make life miserable for your opponents. As much as the competitive spirit can make those competing feel invincible, we don't want this to turn into a battlefield of people forcing others off off their pokemon, that's no good. And unlike that flying thing up there above the audience right now," Falkner said, pointing up at Tails, causing the rest of the audience to gawk at him, "Humans can't fly, so be careful racers."

Tails meekly waved at the audience below before settling down back in his seat. Giggling nervously to himself, he continued listening. Falkner conceded the podium for Winona and he sat down in a chair nearby.

"Thank you, Falkner. And so we have it. Those are the rules for the race. And once we receive confirmation that the track is ready for the racers, the time will be set for the race to begin. That's all!"

Once more, applause rang through the audience.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So this was why Winona was so defensive about the forests around Fortree. No forest, no festival. The profits for Vince still would have been there for him, and he would have never had met that flea-bitten fox. But now he knew that that fox was indeed here for the festival and Falkner only oh so kindly directed his attention to him. Perhaps he would repay him by inot/i knocking Falkner off his pokemon like he had so planned. That only left Winona and that fox boy to contend with.

But once he would get those two out of the picture, he might feel up to the challenge of dealing with Falkner anyway. It didn't matter to him who won or lost, as long as he could get revenge and swipe pokemon while he's at it. Heck, there wasn't even a reward mentioned during that whole speech. There was nothing truly in it for him to waste his time finishing a race when he could just as well make a getaway.

He stood up and made his way out of the audience to go look for something to toast his future victory with. He was thirsty, anyhow. And it wasn't until something small ran into him that he would find out whether or not his new identity could hold steady.

"Ack! Sorry about that!" the kid said.

Vince looked down and saw that it was the last thing he needed to see before the race, that pesky two tailed fox. "Erm, excuse me." he roughly said.

The fox got back up and brushed himself off. "I was hoping not to run into people today... hey, do I know you or something?" the kid asked when he looked up. "You look kinda familiar."

Maybe his new guise wasn't enough if a kid could see right through it. But maybe a lie could keep him safe for now. "Erm... perhaps you might have seen me on the television. I'm a..." He had to think of something half believable quickly. "I'm a manager of a department store chain. And I was just uh... on my way to meet my colleagues for a toast to our racer today." he made up.

"Oh, okay. I'll be racing today, too. I was just gonna go up and see Winona," the kid told him.

"Ah, I see. But aren't you perhaps a little small for a race like this? It could be dangerous for someone like you." Vince continued, not wanting to break off the conversation suspiciously early.

"Well, I can fly if anything happens, and after everything I've been doing on this planet, I think I'll be able to handle it." the fox continued, rubbing the back of his head.

"I see. You are an endearing kid. Now if you'll excuse me, I must attend a toast," Vince said before turning around and walking off. Hopefully that would shake the brat off his tail for now. He looked back and saw that the kid had already turned around to go meet with Winona just as he said.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Falkner looked out at the audience, trying to figure who'd be racing today and who looks like they might have an edge over the others. Legendaries were forbidden now so he had to rely on Zephyr, though he had no qualms in particular over using him. He still couldn't get over the fact that there was something flying in the audience by what looked like its tails. It certainly didn't look like any pokemon he had ever seen before. He didn't know whether or not it was in fact, someone's pokemon, or a fully developed thing that no one's ever seen before and whether or not it would be racing today. It looked a little too small to be that high up for too long without passing out.

A pair of hands were placed on his shoulder that broke him from his train of thought. "Thanks, Falkner. You were right. All I had to do is do what I usually do, and it worked out so far."

"Don't worry, Winona," Falkner said, placing a hand on one of hers. "You're doing fine, and this race will just as fun as it is any other year."

"So did you notice anyone in particular in the audience that might cause trouble?" Winona inquired.

"No, no one."

"Hmm...Maybe I was just imagining things."

"The only thing I thought was odd," Falkner said, "was that thing flying above the audience."

"Oh, yeah, I think that was Tails."

"You mean that thing actually signed up for the race?" Falkner asked surprised. "He has to be a little small for it, don't you think?"

"Yes, well, he's also the one I told you that helped me rid the forests of the problem Fortree had several months ago." Winona said, glancing out at those same forests.

"I see. And you don't think the thin air will take him out of the race too early?"

"If he's that young and could handle the problem back then, I'd like to see what he's capable of, now."

Falkner chuckled a bit. "I still have my doubts, but I'll take your word for it."

"Well, just take a look at him, he's not even from this world." Winona told him.

"So he isn't a pokemon, then..."

"Well, speaking of whom, hello, Tails." Winona said, taking her hands from off Falkner's shoulders.

The two tailed fox they had just been speaking of had just made his way onto the stage. Even from up close, Falkner's doubt's weren't put to rest.

"Hey, Winona! I guess you're right about pokemon and trainers," he said, "I've always had my own motto, too. 'I wanna fly high, so I can reach the highest of all my heavens.' And there are a lot of people that helped me out in the past, and now I have my pokemon to help me fly high." he said cheerfully.

"See, Falkner, he has the right idea." Winona said with a smile.

"Well, I guess he does, doesn't he?" Falkner agreed with a smile of his own, looking down at Tails now. "So you're the one who helped Winona?"

Tails nodded. "Yep. I only helped get rid of Julian. Winona went to get Officer Jenny."

"And I bet he felt real incompetent for losing to a kid," Falkner piped in.

"Falkner, be nice," Winona said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Don't worry about it," Tails said, rubbing the back of his head. "He just wasn't a good trainer. He was easy." he continued with a giggle.

"So this will be your first time in the Wild Blue Yonder, will it?" Falkner asked.

Tails nodded. "Yup."

"You think you'll win?" Falkner continued.

Tails shrugged. "I dunno," he admitted. "But I'll do my best to win." he added with a smile.

"You can't go wrong with that answer," Falkner said with a smile.

"No, no you can't." Winona added. She looked up at the sky, then at her watch, probably expecting the confirmation call to start off the race. And sure enough, her Pokenav rang and she picked it up to answer.

"Yes, hello? This is Winona speaking. They have? Good. And they've reached an altitude to where the air is still? Okay, good. And the dangling holograms are functional? Okay, then we're all set then. Thanks again." She shut her Pokenav and looked at Falkner and Tails with a smile. "They're all ready and the race can begin at any time. Tails, go get yourself ready while Falkner and I make our final preparations to our teams and the race, okay?" she asked.

Tails nodded. "Okay," he said, turning to walk off, but he looked back to ask one more thing. "Is there going to be an announcement when the race is ready to start?"

Winona nodded. "Yes there will."

Tails nodded back, then trotted off, waving. "See ya later, then!"

Falkner watched him run along his merry way, then looked back at Winona. "So, do you think he'll last? He's nice and everything, but with someone that small, I've still got my doubts," he stated.

"Well, I'm sure if he does have too much trouble, he'll know to drop out," Winona concluded. "Now, it's time to get the race ready."

"Yeah, let's get this show on the road. I bet Zephyr is getting restless."


	3. Chapter 3

After what seemed like a good half hour or so, or at least to Tails it did, an announcement was heard on the PA again.

"All the preparations have been made and the race is ready to begin." This time, it was Falkner's voice on the speakers. "If you are participating today, please make your way to the starting line, and the race will begin"

"Okay, it's time to see what I can do here..." Tails said to himself. He found that he was shaking a bit, walking along with the others. This was the first time in this world he was participating in something like this. Hanging with Sonic for four years made him naturally adept at racing. But racing while riding something was a different story for him. Of course, his old biplane, the Tornado could get up and go faster than one could say 'chili dogs', but this was a living thing he was racing on. And there were many other people as well as Winona and Falkner who'd be competing. And above all, for Tails, he wanted to make RC proud after watching that race between him and Aerial.

But all thinking aside, Tails finally found himself, still shaking albeit, nearing the starting point, signified by Winona and Falkner standing beside their pokemon of choice, Skarmory and Pidgeot respectively. There were a couple of attendants waiting on either side of the line also, both waiting with carts filled with what looked liked headsets, probably waiting for everyone to line up.

This is it, Tails thought to himself, it was time for him to show everyone just what he and his pokemon were made of. And to see if he was able to prove himself to none other than himself. His ears perked up when he heard another announcement.

"Everyone, please line up and wait for your handless transmitters, then the race will begin shortly."

The crowd scrambled to line up, prompting Tails to do so himself before someone tripped over him. Soon enough, there was a distinctive line formed and the attendants began to pass out the transmitters to the racers. One made his way to Tails and said, "This is to keep track of a person's position and to speak with the other racers should you have any trouble," before handing him one. Tails started messing around with it, trying to adjust it to his size, then he put it on, positioning the microphone before his mouth.

"Everyone, call out your pokemon!" Tails heard over the headphones.

"Okay, Pidgeot, we're about to start this race! Come on out!" he called out, releasing his Pidgeot from its ball. Looking at the other contestants releasing their pokemon, Tails couldn't help but feel excited to start this race off.

"Everyone mount your pokemon," came another call over the headphones.

Tails climbed onto Pidgeot, catching a glimpse of Winona waving at him after she mounted her Skarmory. Tails always thought Skarmory to be one of the slower flying pokemon, but if Winona was using it, then it had to have some sort of advantage.

"Remember racers, if you should lose your way in a particular region, restart at the first checkpoint in the region. The first checkpoint in this region is above the Sky Pillar; in Orre, above Mt. Battle; in Kanto, above the Pokemon Tower, and in Jhoto, above the Radio Tower," instructed the attendant once more.

C'mon, start already was the only thing racing through Tails' mind. After these announcements, he was finding himself fidgety, ready to start, even if he was more nervous than he has been for a while.

"Racers, on your marks," said the attendant.

"Here we go..." Tails said to himself.

"Get set," the attendant continued.

"Get ready, everyone!" Winona called out.

"And GO!" the attendant yelled.

Almost in unison, calls for Agility were called, and the flying pokemon took off in a jet, leaving nothing but feathers behind to show that just a few seconds ago, there were enough flying pokemon there to overwhelm a windshield of any size.

The pack quickly made an ascent higher than Tails ever made on his Pidgeot and despite its hesitation, Tails urged it to follow them however high they should go. The pokemon ahead leveled out soon enough and Tails knew right then that this was going to be tough on him. The thin air at this level was quite a departure from the air on Mobius, and it worried him a bit, following behind the rest of the racers.

"I didn't know the air would be like this up here," he said to himself, staring ahead.

He wasn't expecting an answer, but over the transmitter he was wearing, someone said, "If you've been flying on a pokemon like that Pidgeot, then you should know about the thin air in the upper altitudes."

"Well, it wasn't like this back on my planet," Tails responded.

"Welcome to Earth, then," came an answer.

Tails decided it would be best if he quit talking so much because it was already getting to him. He just wanted to say one more thing to Pidgeot for now.

"Try and keep up, Pidgeot. Don't worry about me," he told his pokemon.

Pidgeot let out a chirp and started flapping its wings more often, speeding up and slowly creeping up on the rest. Down below, they were passing forests, some rocky areas and he saw quite the sight off in the distance; Sky pillar. From where he was, it really did look like a long, thin stony pillar protruding from the sea. As they neared, he saw something above it that the other racers started to speed toward. He remembered what Winona said, talking on her Pokenav. She asked if the weather balloons and holograms were ready, and that must have been it. Tails squinted and saw an unnatural red arrow below the balloon, pointing eastward. Some of the pokemon rounded a corner around it and continued their flight in the direction the arrow directed.

Tails' Pidgeot rounded the bend like the rest and zoomed away from the first checkpoint in the race.

It had to have been around five forty-five by now, and it showed in the sky. The color itself was something to look at. Off in the horizon near the sun, the clear blue was turning a hint of orange. The other side of the horizon was a darker blue. Evening on Mobius was always so beautiful because the clouds were usually everywhere, but on Earth, they're not so common this high up. He had to have been at least twelve kilometers in the air where it starts to get real thin and some weather balloons start to settle.

And approaching from those colors was another checkpoint, far off from the nearing shore below. Squinting down, Tails could see that they were over Slateport and the checkpoint was still further east. He was near the middle of the pack now, and no one was talking over the headsets. He just guessed that they were enjoying the sights as much as he was. Either that or they also thought talking this high up with the thin air was a bad idea, too.

The checkpoint over Rustboro came and went as quickly as the last and the holographic arrow was pointing northwest this time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first four Checkpoints passed by fast enough. Sky Pillar, Rustboro, Mount Chimney and Sootopolis, and that last checkpoint was pointing north. Falkner guessed they were flying for the Weather Institute next. Only Winona was ahead of him right now, and he could never figure out how a Skarmory could best a Pidgeot in speed. Looking behind him, he could see the rest of the pack not too far behind. He was certain on another one-two win again this year.

"Hey, Winona. You feeling good up there?" Falkner asked over the transmission system.

"Why it feels good, of course," Winona replied. "How does the dust taste back there?" she asked playfully.

Falkner chuckled to himself. "I should feel lucky that steel pokemon don't smell like anything but steel."

He heard another giggle, then he redirected his focus on the Weather Institute tower that was rapidly approaching, that and its perpetual rainfall. A thought crossed his mind. Would the rain there hinder Skarmory and cost Winona a few positions?

For all he knew, due to her proximity to the institute, Winona could have trained her Skarmory to handle the rain like any other flying pokemon without missing a flap. And if she could do that, then certainly she'd find a way to train a Skarmory to attain such high speeds so as to give a Pidgeot a run for its money. And if that was possible, then Mach 2 may just be the beginning of Pidgeot's potential.

Just as always, the area greeted Falkner with a kiss of rain, which he felt was decidedly chilly, considering their hight in the air. This dense chill would probably be the first of many environmental challenges in the race. If the racers behind him weren't careful, they were liable to lose an appendage or two.

Luckily, gym leaders were trained to handle what their pokemon are expected to. Just like it's rumored for Lieutenant Surge to undergo a sixty second shock 'therapy' from his pokemon--drenched with water at that--and not even yell, Falkner and Winona could handle the upper reaches of the sky with relatively no problem.

The checkpoint came and went, the holographic arrow pointing the racers further north. It looked like the Jhoto and Kanto regions were next. Orre would be last, as it would be expected that nighttime above the desert would prove to be about as chilly as the institute skies. Across the ocean they went.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vince was anxious to distance himself as far away from the weather institute as fast as possible. He figured a Charizard wouldn't have any problems in a race like this, but it seemed even his judgment was faulty from time to time. Other than that mishap, the skies were treating him well. He'd have his time soon enough. The thought alone of the pain he would inflict on that fox boy stirred him to see through the past storm and onto his own clearer skies.

Maybe when this was over, he'd have himself a martini in Celadon to celebrate his victory over his past. God knew he needed it after all this time. It seemed his Charizard could tap into his joy, as their flight was becoming less turbulent by the mile.

He constantly wished though, that those locales he read of in books were real. Those stories told of Los Angeles, Hollywood, Orange County, Los Vegas... sure sounded much more exciting than the cities he'd been to. Pokemon were nice, maybe, but the world was just too _saturated_ with them and their influence. Everything was decided by a battle. A world where even kids could defeat adults and not be questioned was a world that had something very wrong with it. At least in the worlds in the books, he'd be able to sip his martini in peace without being pestered by some punk kid.

Land came soon enough and he was off to make his rounds in Goldenrod, where the tower lied below the first checkpoint of the region.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cold wouldn't have been too much of a problem for Tails, but the droplets that clung to his fur felt like they burning through to his skin, despite them being just drops of cold water. But after having to breathe that in for a stretch, the icy wind circulating though his lungs, the clear air felt so much better. He was worried that Pidgeot would have trouble with it, but just like Tails, Pidgeot seemed to recover from that blast of chill.

By the time they had flown past the Radio Tower in Goldenrod, Tails could breathe at least a little better considering how high he was up in the air. The Hologram above the tower pointed east, so he nudged Pidgeot over in that direction after they passed by. At least he was in an area he knew pretty well. Snagem headquarters was in that direction, but he didn't really think they'd place a checkpoint above the base. He knew Snagem didn't need the advertising.

A few of the racers seemed to be lagging, probably ready to drop out. He passed them by and waved. But those racers didn't look too happy about him passing them up. And one of the contestants stuck his middle finger up for some reason. Tails didn't know what it was supposed to mean, but he decided against trying to return the gesture since the guy didn't look exactly pleased in the first place.

"Umm..." Tails began to say over the mic, "what's it mean when someone sticks their middle finger up in the air?" he asked.

He didn't have to wait too long before he heard laughter from the other end. And up ahead of him, he saw someone fall off his Dragonite, he was laughing so hard. Fortunately for him, his Dragonite retrieved him before he made a mess on the ground.

"It's... an Orange Island good luck sign," Falkner lied.

"Yeah, and... you're only supposed to do it if you're from Orange Islands, or it's bad luck then," Winona added.

"Oh, okay. I guess someone from the Orange islands is racing," Tails replied.

More laughter was heard from the other end. He figured he was missing something, but he didn't want to waste too much energy talking when breathing should be his main focus.

As Pidgeot flew over the forested area, Tails saw Mount Silver rapidly approaching. As with the other checkpoints, the weather balloon was waiting for him and the other racers. Several had already rounded the corner, northwest and when he passed the checkpoint, he turned that way himself. He wasn't too worried that they were ahead of him. There was still three checkpoints in this region, plus Kanto and Orre to pass through before flying back to Fortree to decide the winner. He felt he had enough room to work with.

Speaking of other regions, he noticed that these checkpoints were over notable landmarks in the regions, and he thought it would be useful if he was going to have a clue as to what he would have to overcome next in the race. And after the Institute airspace, he felt a need to be prepared.

More trees, more grass below, more flying over cities and other areas. More suppressingly cold thin air. And after that, two more regions. More than what Tails was used to dealing with. Of course he had his bumps and bruises in the past on this planet. It had been over a year since he left Mobius, and with joining Snagem, it was inevitable. Broken leg, almost crushed, deep fried, nearly drowned...he could go on and on. Back on Mobius, Sonic was the one to protect him from such dangers. But here, he longed to be just as adventurous as his hero.

So he had to deal with it.

Ecruteak city was the next target area and the checkpoint drifted above the Tin Tower. Just as ever, Winona and Falkner were still in the lead, followed by several other people Tails didn't know of, around him were a flock of birds and racers and behind was another flock, and he think he saw Vince on a Charizard in the midst of it.

The checkpoint came, went and pointed them southwest. Tails nudged Pidgeot in that direction and watched as they speedily departed Ecruteak just as quickly as they came.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having passed over the Olivine Lighthouse and Mount Mortar, Vince knew he'd have to act in Kanto. He definitely didn't want to wait too long, because he'd stand out too much if he tried to deliver the coup de grace to that flying fox pest. Too many people would have dropped out. Not that it'd matter. He could just as easily ground the two gym leaders if he needed to. He didn't come with just his pokemon after all.

The sun was about claimed by the horizon, the last rays of light struggling to keep from sinking beneath. Perhaps killing him late would have its own merits. It'd be dark and all he'd have to do would be to ditch his headset and become just another missing person. If he played his cards right, he could escape all blame, be seen as a victim and move on with another identity.

In this day and age, new identities could be attained just as freely as a new job, if you had the right connections and enough cash. That was how he got the name Vince in the first place. It had a certain villainous ring to it that he found fitting of a killer. But could it be called killing? The fox boy was just that. A fox. A talking fox, maybe, an aberration unto this world, maybe. A human? Not even close. Nothing borne on his conscience.

The only thing that could go wrong is if that fox somehow survived. And the chances of that happening were unlikely at best.

The first destination in Kanto was the Pokemon Tower in Lavender. It would have been fitting to take him out then and there, above such a melancholy town steeped in mourning and death. They wouldn't have to take him far to bury him, either.

But... all the thinking about revenge was boring him. As soon as he rounded the checkpoint west southwest according to the compass conveniently installed into his watch, he buried his vengeful thoughts and his brain conceived of such joys as wine, freedom and other future planning.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The race was about halfway done. Hoenn and Jhoto were done with and Falkner had left Lavender well in his dust. At least something good happened in that old town. Winona's Skarmory looked as if it were finally tiring out and Zephyr took snatched that opportunity up faster than a Snorlax would a pile of apples.

"How's it feel back there, Winona?" Falkner finally asked.

"Don't worry," Winona assured, "I'll do my best just to give you trouble."

"Well, you know how much I hate an easy win."

"You'll be happy to hear that I can't guarantee any of those conditions," Winona cheerfully replied.

Another voice, a young one, came on the headset: "Hey, don't count me out yet!"

Knowing who it was, Falkner answered, "Don't worry, Tails, I see you behind us. You're doing good to get this far," he encouraged. "Keep it up."

"Mmm-hmm!" Tails replied.

Falkner was glad he was so enthusiastic at this stage in the race. Maybe he had what it takes to finish the race after all. That would be pretty good for a kid. He could go home and tell all his friends about it. But then the thought occurred to him; if the kid really did make it, then he would probably keep coming until he might actually be a match for Winona and himself. He already had a friendly rival in Winona, and another one would make the future races all the more interesting.

"Yeah, keep it up," Falkner repeated.

Truth be told, he couldn't recall whether or not Palette Town was a checkpoint in previous races. He was sure he'd be able to recall if it had. He concluded that it wasn't worth thinking on since Zephyr rounded the checkpoint back northeast. Interesting setup this year, he thought to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

"Be careful, Pidgeot," Tails told his pokemon, "we don't want to end up at Lavender again."

Pidgeot acknowledged with a shrill chirp and kept its course towards the ever darkening eastern sky. Three more locations in Kanto, then Orre, and then finally back to Fortree... he knew he had taken much longer than the two hour time that RC set, but he wasn't looking for a record. He was looking just to finish the race. Perhaps beating either Winona or Falkner to the finish line would be fun. That would definitely make his day.

But whenever the end would come, he hoped it would be soon. He thought he was doing well, keeping his breathing under control, but Pidgeot was showing fatigue and that was causing Tails' comfy position mounted on its back to be flooded by the cold air again, chilling him from the inside out, almost as bad as the area around the Weather Institute, minus the water droplets.

One thing he learned about sky high Earth: breathing in the cold thin air hurt. It was bad enough that it stung his eyes, bad enough he had to endure it at mach 2 speeds, bad enough he had to do it at so young an age. But he couldn't just go back now. He just let the thought of snuggling curled up in his bed or the couch, hugging one of his tails and using the other as a pillow encourage him to hold on tight, and hope it would warm him up at least a little bit.

He finally saw the checkpoint off in the distance, flying above the power plant north of Lavender and let out a fatigued sigh when he saw Winona, Falkner and a few others fly past him, back to where he had just came.

When Pidgeot made it to the checkpoint, he could see that they'd be aiming just a little north of Palette. For the first time in the race, he rested his head on Pidgeot's neck for just a little bit. His nose was biting cold and his eyes were watering. Just a little rest, he told to himself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It didn't even feel like a few seconds went by until Tails felt some turbulence, and a shrill chirp from Pidgeot. He quickly raised his head, wondering what the heck was up until he felt a sharp pain surge through his body causing him to let out a pained yell, followed by a fierce tingling and burning and a very unpleasant taste in his mouth, almost knocking him off Pidgeot, who also felt it from the erratic way it was flying. Tails shook his head, keeping a firm grip on Pidgeot, his eyes squeezed shut. He felt that pain before. He'd just been a victim of a thunderbolt attack. But from where?

He heard laughing, but it wasn't from his headset. That was probably fried from the jolt.

"Now!" someone yelled, "Now it's time for my revenge! Say your prayers, Fox Boy!"

He coerced his head to look toward the source of the voice and he saw a Charizard, a Magneton hovering just beside it and that store manager from earlier in the day.. But why would he want revenge on him? He only met him today and beside running into him on accident, he was sure he didn't do anything to incur any sort of wrath.

But since the 'manager' made the first strike, Tails felt an obligation to repay the favor and then some.

"I don't know what I did to you," he told him, still cringing a bit from the surge of electricity, "But if you're after me, then I'm not gonna hold back!"

He took out two pokeballs, Pidgeot's and his Salamance's and got ready to jump.

"Oh, I'm sure I'm shaking in my boots," the manager taunted.

Tails jumped from Pidgeot's back and returned it before tossing the other pokeball out below him. It erupted in a red light, and the scaly pokemon that was Salamence appeared and Tails landed right on its back.

"Salamence, we got trouble!" He called to his pokemon. Salamence replied with a snort. "We gotta take this guy out! I don't know who he is, but he's no good!"

"You're too kind."

If that was a compliment for the guy, then Tails was sure he'd make Ransai pull out his hair in frustration, even his insults not working.

"Salamence, we gotta get some distance! Use Agility!" Tails called out.

Salamence complied and it shot forward with momentum that exceeded that of Pidgeot's for a short while and thankfully, it kept Tails from having to endure another stinging thunderbolt. Salamence shifted its direction to aim any attack Tails would call out.

"Now, go for a Dragon Claw attack, Salamence!" Tails ordered.

Salamence surged forward in a barrel roll, Tails hanging on tight all the way and Salamence slashed both the Charizard and the Magneton on the way by and it continued on before turning around again to ready another attack.

Another attack was called by the manager and a bright streak of lightning shot toward Salamence and Tails and Tails felt another electric surge through his body, but it wasn't as bad as last time, probably because of the properties of the scales on Salamence, but getting shocked by a thunderbolt was still near the top of his things smart people try to avoid list. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to shake the ringing out of his ears.

"Oww..." he moaned. "Salamence, You gotta take out that Magneton. Fire a Flamethrower at it!" he called out before coughing. That thin air was definitely not the best thing for yelling out attacks in a pokemon battle.

Salemence inhaled air and exhaled a burning streak of fire aimed right at the magnetic pokemon and it hit where it hurt. Apparently it was a good attack, because it forced the guy to return the pokemon. Then Charizard charged forward with its claws outstretched and it slashed at Salamence just like Salamence did Charizard earlier.

Tails was almost shaken off when Salamence's flight faltered, but Tails was thankful when it regained its posture. He let out a sigh of relief before Salamence twirled in the air once again to face Charizard.

"Salamence, show him we won't lose!" Tails shouted before wishing he hadn't shouted. "Dragon Claw again."

Salamence let out a snort, then barreled for Charizard once more, slashing it as it passed by. Charizard didn't look like it could take anymore and it fell from the sky. The evil-manager-Nazi-guy pushed off his Charizard before calling out two more pokemon, a Butterfree and Crobat-- leaving Charizard to plummet to the ground as Crobat fetched its falling trainer. Tails could hardly believe the blatant disregard for the safety of the trainer's own pokemon and that seriously ticked him off.

"How could you just leave your pokemon to fall like that!" he demanded. He didn't care about his voice or breathing in the cold thin air right now; he was far too peeved at the guy to think as clearly as he was before having to engage the guy.

"You know, I seriously don't think it matters anymore," the guy sneered. "For a fox, you're not too clever. I feel so upset that you don't remember your igood/i friend Julian," he falsely lamented.

Tails' ears twitched. He knew he looked familiar earlier, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. But he remembered that name. Julian was the one who was trying to deforest the area around Fortree. Julian was the one who wouldn't quit and even joined Turanade. And in every encounter, Tails had the better hand. He wasn't about to let him win now.

"It pains me so that you just don't look too happy to see me," Julian continued, "And since we're so high up, I'll be long gone before you ever hit the ground."

"What do you mean by that!" Tails demanded.

"I'll give you a hint. Crobat, show them to a Gust attack!"

The large four winged bat started to flap its wings furiously, whipping up a strong gust of wind aimed at Salamence and Tails but Tails held fast onto his pokemon, bent on not being blown away.

"It'll take more than that to blow me off!" Tails shouted at Julian.

"I would expect nothing less!" Julian replied. "Butterfree, fire your stun spores into Crobat's gust now!" he ordered.

The butterfly pokemon started flapping its wings now and a yellow shining powder was exuded from them and drifted into the gust of wind. Salamence couldn't maneuver out of the way, because one false move could have destabilized its flight and thus got a face full of the powder and its flight started to falter already. Tails tried holding his breath, but it was no good, since oxygen was already thin enough in his lungs. He was soon rendered numb by the foul powder.

"No...Salamence, hang on," Tails laboriously said through his numbing face and the onset of paralysis through his body. Now he knew what Julian meant. He was going to paralyze him and his pokemon and blow them away to fall from the sky and land with a crushing fall to the ground where most likely the landing would utterly wreck his body, leaving him a mangled mess. A gruesome thought. For the first time, Tails felt very much acrophobic, fearing what could happen in the next few minutes.

Salamence did the best it could, weakly flapping its leathery, scaly wings, struggling against the gust, breathing in more of the powder. But breathing was the bane of the moment. It let out a weak roar filled with courage as faulty as its flight.

"Now, Crobat," Julian shouted with finality, "Finish them off! Pour all you got into your gust!"

The Crobat started screeching from all the effort, emitting supersonic waves that made Tails' ears ring, flapping its wings faster and faster until the wind actually started to distort Tail's sight of Julian. Salamence couldn't hold its form any longer from the paralysis and force of the wind. It finally gave in and was blown away by Crobat, and Tails was flung from his pokemon's back.

He let out a stifled scream of fright, watching Salamence plunge from the sky with him, just as helpless as he was. He couldn't reach his pack, his hand was already so crippled from the paralysis, and he couldn't even save Salamence the fall. His eyes shifted in a panic down below, towards the ground. If he weren't paralyzed, it would have been exhilarating, fun. The land was stretching out in all directions, met by the sea in the west, looking like a patchwork quilt, just like every skydiver would tell you. The wind from falling too had a fake ecstasy, playfully buffeting his fur, stinging his eyes all the while.

Maybe Ransai was right, he thought. Maybe he couldn't handle this kind of stuff. Not without something bad happening. And now here he was, falling at a terminal velocity of around a hundred miles per hour and he couldn't even use his tails to helicopter him out of it. He squinted his eyes shut. This was it, taken out in a dogfight, though it was a cheap attack that downed him. Now he couldn't bear looking down, knowing that it would be the last thing he'd ever get to see. So he just closed his eyes, on the verge of crying.

"No..." he heard himself say, "I don't wanna die..."

After just listening to the deafening roar of wind in his ears for he didn't dare recall how long, it felt like he landed on something, but it was soft and maintaining the same momentum he was, then resumed in whatever direction it was flying.

Tails chanced opening his eyes to see what saved him, or if he had already went splat on the ground, if it was an angel that was carrying him up into the heavens. He found himself in Falkner's arms, and he was soaring on his own Pidgeot. He was saved. But the sinking feeling in his stomach didn't go away.

"Salamence..." he said, "Where's Salamence?"

Falkner said nothing but grin. "An Altaria that knows the Heal Bell maneuver works wonders," he assured.

As if it had rehearsed the moment, Tails' Salamence soared level with Falkner's Pidgeot and Tails let the feelings of relief sweep over him. "Falkner...Thanks..." he said finally.

Digging into a pack, Falkner nodded, then took out a tied satchel. "Well, try and open your mouth. I have some berry powder here that will fix you right up," he told Tails.

Tails complied by slowly but surely coercing his mouth to open and Falkner poured some of the powder in. As soon as the powder hit his tongue, he almost coughed, not expecting it to be a spicy powder. But sure enough, the sensations of feeling trickled from his mouth throughout his body, from the points of his ears, down through his belly, his tails and his toes.

"Kinda spicy..." he said, ears twitching a bit from the taste.

"It's a blend of Cherri and Lum berry powder," Falkner said, "specifically mixed to treat paralysis brought on from pokemon attacks on humans. But I figured in your case, you'd be close enough," he added with a bit of a chuckle.

Tails let out a sigh. "If it weren't for Julian, that wouldn't have happened..."

"I heard something strange from the headset," Falkner interrupted, "Like something just got short circuited. I left my position to see what was up and there you were with your Salamence, falling from the sky toward the Viridian Forest. What happened?" he questioned.

"I got attacked."

"By this Julian you said?"

"Yeah. He was one of the racers today..."

"As far as I know," Falkner recalled, "there weren't any entrants named Julian."

"I didn't even know it was him until he told me," Tails said. "He looked so different, I couldn't even tell."

Falkner's face turned into a slight scowl. "Hmm... did he look like a business type person?" he asked.

Tails nodded. "Yeah... why do you ask that, though?"

"I knew it," Falkner said, "Winona warned me that the guy seemed suspicious. He entered under the name of Vince. And from what you and Winona said earlier today, it would seem as if he wouldn't really like you too much."

Tails started to sit up, stretching and trying to get himself into a position where he could get back onto his Salamence.

Falkner grabbed Tails by the arm, however. "You sure you should keep going?" he asked. "I wouldn't doubt you and your pokemon are still stiff."

Tails looked back at Falkner into his eyes and said, "I gotta go after him. He might try and go after someone else."

Falkner shook his head. "I doubt that. After I saw you falling, I gave a warning to the racers to look out for anything suspicious. And after an act like that," he said, "I bet more than anything he'll go into hiding."

"Then...what do I do?" Tails asked uncertainly.

Falkner grinned "You do have a race to finish, don't you?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that that fox was out of the picture, it was time for Vince to skedaddle. As much as he wanted to go after Winona now, the current condition of his team wouldn't allow for his safe assault on a gym leader without seeming foolhardy.

But how dare that kid try and tell him what's right and wrong! Just a self righteous brat that hasn't seen the real world for what it was. And after an act of revenge, one can't use the same weapons over and over again without starting to leave a trail for others to follow and ultimately lead to hard time behind bars.

The best thing he thought for himself was to just lay low for the time being. There was no need to rush into a battle; often the most prepared wins out, anyhow. It'd be a good time to toast to his achievement of vengeance, build up the perfect team, relax... he wasn't in any particular hurry. He knew where to find her. That's all he needed to know.

He could already taste the red velvet port he loved so much to sip from.


	5. Chapter 5

After feeling firmly set into Tails' body, he recalled his Salamence and sent out another dragon pokemon, amber colored: Dragonite.

"You think a Dragonite can hold its own with a Pidgeot?" Falkner asked.

Tails nodded. "Well, it knows Extreme speed,"

"You won't be able to keep that up forever," Falkner warned.

"I know," Tails replied, "but we're more than halfway through the race. I think it'll be enough to last the rest of the way."

"I won't argue with ya," Falkner conceded, "Somehow, Winona's Skarmory can keep up with my Pidgeot. It could happen."

"Yeah!" Tails said cheerfully, hopping from Falkner's Pidgeot to his own Dragonite.

"What a situation."

"What do you mean?" Tails asked.

"Here we are, so close together, yet so far behind, more than halfway through the Wild Blue Yonder."

It took a few moments for Tails to get what Falkner was getting at. He giggled. "So, we'll race ourselves and try and catch up with everyone else?"

Falkner nodded. "You up to it?"

Tails returned the nod. "You bet!"

"Okay, Zephyr, you heard him," Falkner told his Pidgeot, "We're gonna have ourselves a little head to head with that Dragonite over there. You get ready, now."

His Pidgeot gave a shrill chirp in recognition to his trainer, then snapped its beak.

"Okay, Dragonite. I'm going to need you to go as fast as you can for this one," Tails told his pokemon, "You ready for it?"

Dragonite nodded, then gave its wings a flap, getting ready to speed on.

"No more talking now! Agility, Zephyr!"

"Extreme Speed, Dragonite!"

Both pokemon cried, and they both took off, Pidgeot soaring above the clouds and Dragonite pursuing after it, both already had broken the seven hundred mile per hour mark. They soon found themselves back at the Checkpoint above the Viridian forest and the Checkpoint pointed them Northeast. Zephyr adjusted its course, and Tails nudged Dragonite to do so. After being given the chance to try and beat Falkner, Tails didn't want to waste it, and that thought was almost enough to make him forget about the stingingly cold and thin air above the clouds.

He could do this, Tails told himself, Dragonite was known as a fast fast pokemon in its own right. Perhaps it wasn't capable of mach two speeds from the get go, but it knew Agility and Extreme Speed. He hoped it would be enough. He would find out soon enough.

"Extreme Speed, Dragonite!" Tails shouted above the roar of the wind in his face.

Upon hearing the command, the Dragonite leaned forward, reducing wind resistance and shooting ahead of Falkner and his Pidgeot. Tails playfully waved at him as they passed by. But it seemed it wouldn't be that easy, because Pidgeot crept back up, even with Dragonite. Falkner mouthed something that Tails didn't exactly catch, but he thought he had a feeling he knew what he meant.

The mist was getting heavy, the further north they flew, so much that it was turning to fog. The sun had well since set, giving Tails a scene of being surrounded by a dense gray-blue gas any way he looked. Though that fog, Tails saw a mountain rear its rocky face and above it was the weather balloon and checkpoint hovering above it. Maybe it was just him, but it seemed real eerie.

Following the checkpoint north, Tails and Falkner passed over the gulf that separated Orre and Kanto, leaving behind that eerie fog, and even some other racers.

"Finally back in the race," Tails told himself.

Dragonite and Zephyr were still dead even in speed, and neither were showing signs of slowing down. But all that speed was grating on Tails' throat, and apparently the air above the desert was worse than the other regions. It was drier. Colder. Thinner. There weren't any trees to add the supplementary oxygen for the immediate area. Yeah, it looked like there was a reason Orre was last.

Perhaps Mount Battle was the highest monument in the course, because the weather balloon was hovering just above the summit where a trainer was battling the hundredth battle of that challenge. And the one that looked like the battle master was literally shaking the mountain up with his techniques, both his pokemon rocking the mountain to the core.

The checkpoint pointed Tails and Falkner South southwest and the pokemon made sharp turns, passing each other on the way by. Tails didn't know what else beside Realgam tower would be remarkable about Orre, considering it was mostly desert. But they were met with the ocean quickly and off in the distance was a stormy ocean. And an all too familiar island under stormy sky.

Citadark Isle.

Even he remembered the time he had there, fending off that Shadow Lugia. He couldn't think of any time where he felt any pain greater than that doled out by that Lugia, the one that broke his leg even. He hated the place, and hopefully the foul weather below wouldn't be too much consequence on their flying.

And just as he had hoped, which he met with a sigh, the checkpoint came, pointed them east northeast. But Tails couldn't help stare down at the island. through the storm clouds, he saw the glowing of the lava that was probably still flowing from that time almost a year ago where Snagem and the Shadow Lugia tore that place up and where he himself took down a Shadow Articuno. Tough times. But they were behind him, now. He was an admin of the team, now and he was expected to be strong. That was the reason he's here now, touring the Pokemon world in the form of a race.

He was actually thankful when they started flying over the desert again, only because he didn't like to think of that creepy island. He looked over at Falkner and his Pidgeot and noticed that they were inching ahead bit by bit. Ahead, another group of racers came into view. They were getting close.

"Dragonite, Agility, now!" Tails cried against the wind.

That call made Dragonite double up its efforts to fly as fast as it could, straining its wings and whatever mystical power its scales had to get past Falkner, his Pidgeot, past those other racers and find the next checkpoint, floating above Pyrite Town's colosseum. There were no battles that he could see going down below. But unlike Mt. Battle, the checkpoint was ifar/i above the battlefield. So he couldn't see far enough to see through the rusted through colosseum anyhow.

Following the arrow, Dragonite flew through the night northwest, toward Realgam tower that he could see even from above the Pyrite airspace. Of course, as expected when Dragonite reached the checkpoint above the tower, Falkner and his Pidgeot caught up with them. Just in time for the last checkpoint. The direction was straight west. Pidgeot and Dragonite made the slight shift in direction and shot toward the final destination in Orre, Tails hanging on for all he was, hoping it would be over soon.

But where was Winona? She was perhaps the only one he didn't pass, trying to catch up in the race. Falkner was probably thinking the same thing, too. His face looked strained, staring ahead through the sky, his eyes scanning the skies for any sign of the Skarmory mounted Fortree representative.

Tails' eyes caught a glimpse of hope when he saw the other balloon, ergo, a glint in the distance before the balloon. That had to be her. Flying for the Krane Laboratory, for the final checkpoint, for the final stretch. He looked at Falkner and he nodded at him before lowering himself to his pokemon's back, prompting Tails to do so himself. He watched the glint streak south around the checkpoint. Tails' ears twitched, mentally urging Dragonite to push harder. And Falkner was probably doing the same thing, minus twitching his ears.

They both turned the corner, turned south, turned hard. They were in the final stretch, now. Tails' teeth was chattering now, not only from being cold, but also from nerves. He was so close to winning, he could almost taste it. Falkner took the lead ahead of Tails and Dragonite, and Dragonite let out a roar before reasserting her authority over the Pidgeot. Finally, the shape of Winona on her Skarmory could be seen. He was getting closer, closer. He watched the scenery flick by below to see how much time they had left before the finish mark in Fortree.

They passed the gulf of Orre, the suppressing blue fog of Mt Moon, the penta-city area, Tails found himself waving at Winona when he finally caught up. Finally caught up. She waved back, thinking nothing of being having been caught up to. They passed over Fuschia. Falkner passed them up. They were soaring over the sea, the three of them. Tails' throat was burning more than ever in the night, feeling more and more light-headed. His breathing was quick and shallow. They were close, he knew that, and as much as he thought it would take its toll on him later, he didn't let Dragonite relent in passing Falkner, nor in being passed up again by Winona.

More sea, finally sight of the forested shore north of Fortree. On either side of him, he could see Falkner on his Pidgeot, Winona on her Skarmory. This was going to be close, all right.

Though they were going faster than many commercial aircraft, the shore took its sweet time in approaching. Tails wanted to call out another Extreme speed to try and shorten his time in the air, but when he opened his mouth, he was overwhelmed by the wind. He was getting too nervous. He tightened his embrace on Dragonite's back as if that would give him the strength to call out the attack.

They had crossed over the shore, now over the forest, seeing the final balloon. Tails saw Winona and Falkner start to edge ahead of him and he let his lungs take an icy plunge and he took a deep breath that made his head spin. But through that, he finally called out "Extreme Speed!"

When he finally passed up Falkner and Winona, he noticed his hands and feet were numb from being buffeted by the cold for so long. And when he passed through the holographic finish line he didn't know whether to stop and see what direction it was pointing or just stop. His ears twitched when he finally figured out what just happened and he chanced a look behind, seeing Falkner and Winona hovering on their pokemon above the finish line. He pulled back on Dragonite and thankfully it stopped and looked around, allowing Tails to catch at least a breath that didn't sting from mouth to lung.

"Go back...It's over, I think..." he said, breathing heavily. After a sigh, he just placed his head to rest on his pokemon's back, feeling like he was either going to faint from being exposed to the thin air for so long, or just fall asleep from pure fatigue after an adrenaline rush.

When Tails quit moving, it hovered back to the finish line with the two gym leaders and their pokemon. Unlike the Skarmory and Pidgeot, Dragonite didn't have to flap its wings to stay afloat. But neither Falkner nor Winona looked perturbed by it. They we're probably as used to seeing it as Tails was using it.

"You won," Winona said.

"Never thought I'd lose to a newcomer," Falkner admitted with a brief chuckle. "Even Winona beat me. I blame beginner's luck."

Winona had Skarmory peck at Falkner's head for that remark, causing him to promptly begin an attempt to massage the pain away. "You're free to head back down, you know. You look tired." she told him.

Tails nodded instead of answering. He was really tired after all that. So tired that he only said "Down" to his Dragonite. But it descended all the same, sensitive to its trainer's feeling.

When at last it hit the ground, Tails tried to dismount, but only achieved flopping belly first onto the ground. But now, he didn't care which way he landed. He was finally back on the ground, back on the solid earth. The air was thick and rich, laced with the welcoming smells of cookies, various juices and fruits, the humid, dewy smell of grass, and lush with oxygen.

He didn't even move when he heard the others landing nearby.

"You okay over there?" Winona questioned, sounding a bit worried.

"Yeah," Tails said, muffled by the grass, "I feel good, now."

"If you say so..." Winona answered, still with a hint of concern in her voice. But nonetheless, she walked off, probably off to attend to other duties.

"Don't mind her," Falkner said. He walked over and bent down, ruffling the fur on Tails' head a little. "I think you deserve a little rest before the ending ceremonies. I bet some of the other racers are still trying to catch up."

With that, he stood up, and walked off, leaving Tails to laying down. He listened to the crowd around him, still probably eating, no way tired out from any sort of race. The light from the lamp posts shed a dim light that illuminated the grass around him a yellow-green. After a little while, his neck began to ache, so he turned his head a bit so that his head was resting on its side in the grass. Laying there like that, he realized a few things. He won. He won, as in beat two Gym Leaders. He also realized that he wasn't breathing as fast and his hands were being warmed by the ground.

But he also realized that Julian was still out there, and apparently he had access to resources with which he could change his appearance and his identity. He could be anyone, and who knew what was going though his mind? Tails sighed. He knew one day, he'd probably have to deal with him again. It always worked out that way with evil people named Julian.

Finally, he realized something that dealt with him personally. He was hungry. That, and he had to go to the bathroom really bad. As much as he wanted to get up and eat or find the nearest bathroom, he had no desire to go through all that work just yet. Rest now, eat later. That's what his body was telling him at the moment. His belly would protest, but like the rest of his body, it just wanted inactivity above all else.

When Falkner picked him up and sat him on his feet, he almost protested, but decided he was too tired to.

"They're getting ready," Falkner said. "You gotta look lively for the crowd, you know."

Tails nodded obediently. "Okay...but could I get a cookie or something? I'm hungry," he said, half thinking by now.

That request didn't surprise Falkner any. "Sure, but head up to the stage. I'll go get you one while you're heading up."

"Okay," Tails repeated before dragging himself through the empty auditorium aisle where he had unknowingly ran into Julian earlier, clambering tiredly up the steps to the platform where he was talking to Falkner and Winona soon after running into that so-called 'store manager'.

"I'm here, Winona," Tails said wearily, walking over next to her, wondering what he should be doing.

"You sure looked like you went to sleep out there."

"Yeah, I'm kinda tired."

"Okay, I'll try to make things short. Just stay awake. You can do it if you can win the Wild Blue Yonder," Winona said with a small chuckle.

Tails giggled a bit back. "I guess you're right."

"Here's the Champion's feast."

Tails turned around after hearing Falkner and he was handed several cookies, more than enough to get him through the rest of the night. He promptly began to sink his teeth into one of them, the flavor of burnt dough and chocolate chasing away the stale taste of thin air. His belly celebrated, finally getting the attention it needed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The seats in the outdoor auditorium filled up quickly enough. Tails was sitting on a chair now, finishing the last cookie. Falkner sat beside him, Winona was speaking to the crowd. He couldn't quite make sense of what she was saying. The cookies nourished him with energy, yes, but they also brought with them the gift of unexplained drowsiness that could render an insomniac unable to give a gist of a lecture.

He must have dozed off several times during her speech, almost falling off his chair one time. Soon he noticed that Winona wasn't talking anymore and when he lifted up his head to see if he needed to stand up for the crowd, there was no crowd to stand up for. Just empty seats being folded up by janitors and confetti being scavenged by night owl kids.

"Did you enjoy your rest?"

The sudden question almost made Tails jump from his chair. He nodded before looking up at Winona. "Yeah... wait, I was asleep?" he asked sheepishly.

"Yeah," she answered with a surprisingly youthful giggle. "Almost everyone left about an hour ago. I was going to wake you up, but Falkner said I should just let you sleep until you either woke up or fell off your chair."

Tails couldn't help but laugh at that. "Where is Falkner, anyhow?"

"He left for Violet," Winona answered. "He had a call for a battle at this late at night. And of course he couldn't refuse."

"Falkner kinda reminds me of someone back home," Tails reminisced.

"Oh, the other planet?" Winona asked.

Tails nodded. "Yeah. Not Sonic, but one of my other friends." He had to struggle to say that though yawning.

"I think you should get back home. You're sleepy."

"I guess I am, huh? I'm gonna sleep real good tonight," he said. He stood up from the chair and grabbed for a pokeball. Or he would have until he was grabbed up by his Dragonite and held like he was some sort of pet. An odd twist of fate.

"Eep!" Tails squeaked in surprise.

"Aw, you never returned her to her pokeball," Winona said, shaking her head.

"Her?" Tails asked, confused.

"You can't tell?" Winona asked.

Tails shook his head. "No, not really..."

"Well, just look at her, even after you left her out, she's still going to take you home," Winona told him, tilting her head proudly to the side.

"Thanks, Dragonite..." Tails said, embarrassed at being so rude to his pokemon like that. But it seemed to be of little consequence. The bond between a pokemon and trainer was harder to break than the shell of a Shuckle and any trainer worth his or her salt knew that. Dragonite began to pick up off the ground and Winona waved at them as they ascended into the sky.

"Make sure you come back next year! Falkner needs someone to keep him in check!" she called.

"Okay, I'll try! And I'll be a whole lot better next year, too!" Tails called back.

Dragonite spiked her speed, flying off into the sky, much, much lower than the altitude they had been flying through the night. They were flying off for the final destination of the night. Snagem HQ, where they both could take a much needed rest. Tails could sleep on the couch, Dragonite in the comfort of her pokeball.

Tails didn't notice the time that went by during that last flight. He slept right though it, and when Dragonite set him down, facing the doors of HQ, he almost fell down. But he resisted the dizziness and he remembered to return his Dragonite. He made a note to find a good name for her sometime and he pushed through the front door of HQ. Without saying anything or turning on any lights or the TV, he crawled up to the couch and he curled up just like he wanted to, hugging a tail and using the other as a pillow. It didn't take him any time to fall asleep.


End file.
